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El Ciudadano

Original article: Abogada de Julia Chuñil acusa a Fiscalía de graves problemas de diligencia: “Investigación fragmentada y sin coordinación”

Attorney Karina Riquelme accuses the Los Ríos Prosecutor’s Office of a fragmented and opaque investigation into the disappearance of Julia Chuñil

Statements from the family’s attorney, Karina Riquelme, reveal a lack of coordination, unjustified absences, and alleged falsehoods in the case. The family demands truth and institutional accountability.

One year after the disappearance of Julia Chuñil, her family held an in-person meeting with representatives from the Los Ríos Prosecutor’s Office, which, according to a public complaint shared by Ecoceanos, exposed serious issues in the investigation. The information, gathered from an audio recording featuring statements from the attorney Karina Riquelme, was disseminated by the organization to highlight what they describe as a fragmented and opaque justice system.

During the meeting, which included prosecutors Alejandro Ríos and Claudia Baeza, updates on ongoing lines of investigation were discussed. However, the attorney pointed out that the Regional Prosecutor in charge of one of these lines, Tatiana Esquivel, was absent from the meeting. Even more critically, according to the report circulated by Ecoceanos and echoed by Defendamos Patagonia, no one in the room was able to provide information about the progress of their work, highlighting a complete lack of internal coordination.

View the original post with statements from attorney Karina Riquelme (Source: Ecoceanos and Defendamos Patagonia)

“This situation demonstrates a fragmented investigation, lacking coordination and the minimal transparency owed to victims,” asserts the organization’s publication.

Riquelme further reported to the Ecoceanos platform that regional prosecutors Carlos Babamondes and Jaime Caifil allegedly claimed in court that evidence existed which was not real, and this misinformation was also leaked to the press. While there is an ongoing case regarding this leak, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office has yet to provide explanations, which again were left unaddressed due to the absence of its officials at the meeting.

These issues are compounded by initial mistakes in the investigation, now irreparable, such as the late request — only made in September 2025 — for footage from security cameras in the area, records that have since been deleted.

La entrada Julia Chuñil’s Attorney Alleges Serious Issues with Prosecutor’s Office: «Fragmented Investigation Lacks Coordination» se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.